It worked for Columbus because they didn't trade their superstar for just any depth, the traded it for specifically targeted players who are much better than their reputation makes it seem.

Remember during the Nash debacle, when Rangers fans were refusing to trade Kreider for Nash straight up? Remember when the trade went down and HF laughed and laughed because "stupid Scott Howsen couldn't even get Kreider!"? Imagine if Columbus had traded Nash for Kreider instead of Anisimov and Dubinsky. They'd be ****ed.

True, usually the team who gets the best player wins the deal, but if you target specific players for specific traits, it can work out for you. MacTavish got great value on the Perron trade, so he seems to have a solid understanding of trade value. I wouldn't be terrified of getting bad value if you traded one of the kids, personally, like I would be if Tambo were still in charge.

It could work, but the counter to this argument is the Phaneuf trade. The Flames had an excess of "elite" defensemen and decided to panic trade Phaneuf for a bunch of pieces (including Stajan, a center on a team that was weak down the middle), and well... The rest is history.